Panalpina relocates to new Cairo Airport cargo facility

Panalpina has moved its head office in Egypt and all Cairo operations to the newly developed Cairo Cargo City at Cairo International airport. The move follows last year’s acquisition of Panalpina’s long-standing general sales agent, Afifi, positioning the Swiss company closer to the Egypt’s developing oil and gas sector. Panalpina is the first freight forwarding company to set up shop at the new 150,000 square meter center.

Cairo International Airport moves approximately 290,000 tonnes of cargo per year, according to Panalpina. The relocation places the forwarder closer to “the heart of action,” the company said, providing better access to the government’s business-related entities, such as import and export authorities and cargo terminals.  “Likewise,” said Fouad A. AbouElela, country head of sales and marketing, “the proximity to the cargo handling and customs clearance will make our day-to-day airfreight operations more agile.”.

The export terminal has a total capacity of 240,000 tonnes per annum. The 12,837-square-meter import terminal features a general cargo zone and perishable center that can accommodate up to 90,000 tonnes per annum.

The new Cargo City currently has more cargo capacity than the current volume moving through Cairo Airport, reflecting Egypt’s ambitious plans for economic revival, which seem perpetually confounded by geopolitical and economic events. Now, however, the government is pushing hard to attract energy and manufacturing investment, with a strong focus on Cairo Airport and the region of the country along the Suez Canal.

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